SecureU - Technology Not a Panacea for Emergency Response

Published: 12/21/07

Technology Not a Panacea for Emergency Response
From "Using Technology to Improve Emergency Management" by: staff writers, Chronicle of Higher Education: Emergency-notification technology has become an integral part of emergency response on U.S. campuses, but schools should avoid the trap of depending solely on technology to solve their response needs. Jan Fox, chief information officer at Marshall University, notes that campus security and police officers are the first to respond in emergencies; however, he says, "They are not necessarily the high-tech people. They go through a process and procedure of what they need to do, and technology is rarely there. So by the time a president hears about an emergency, maybe 20 or 30 minutes have gone by in the situation. . . . The sooner we get involved, the quicker everyone is safe." To this end, Fox stresses the need for intracollegiate cooperation and communications. "If you are not sitting down with your head of security, your safety officers, your president, and people who understand what has to happen in an emergency, it means absolutely nothing."

Read more >